


Cigarettes and Kisses

by meditationsinemergencies



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Hermione's Nook's Kissmas 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:22:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28029966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meditationsinemergencies/pseuds/meditationsinemergencies
Summary: Nymphadora Tonks has a Christmas gift for the grumpy potions professor.
Relationships: Severus Snape/Nymphadora Tonks
Comments: 11
Kudos: 13
Collections: Hermione’s Nook Kissmas





	Cigarettes and Kisses

Nymphadora Tonks had a crush on Severus Snape long before she admitted that to herself. It was true that she found his sardonic cynicism humorous and oddly endearing, and it was true that she found his black hair, tied in a ponytail at the nape of his neck to be very punk rock and, well, very sexy. She liked that he smoked cigarettes, that he had a lot of scars and tattoos, and that he seemed to find her so annoying. She knew, however, that he didn't dislike her. No, she thought, he definitely didn't dislike her. He sat beside her at all the Order meetings. True, his other options were slim, but he could just stand in a corner by himself if he wanted to. 

Every time he sat next to her, she caught a whiff of cigarettes, which reminded her of her father, who found comfort in certain Muggle things, smoking being one of them. She found that the fact that Snape smoked made him wildly human to her, to know he had a vice. 

It had been three meetings since she admitted to herself how much she liked him, and now it was the meeting before Christmas Eve—just a Christmas party in the guise of an Order meeting. She and Snape were some of the last people to leave Grimmauld Place. Molly had convinced Severus to stay, and though he ate little, didn't participate in any of the games, she did catch him laughing when she took a jab at Sirius. She wasn't even sure what she had said, but it had warranted a quick jerk of his shoulders, a short sound from his throat, and a tight, small smirk on his lips. It was just a moment and then he fell back into his usual grumpy demeanour, slowly spinning the tumbler of Firewhiskey on the kitchen table. 

Tonks was hanging around simply because he was still there, but no one thought anything odd about her staying later. Severus, however, was in a debate with Moody over something about something. She hadn't been listening, as she was too preoccupied, waiting to make her move. 

In the pocket of her jean jacket was a box. She'd charmed it down to a smaller size, as to make it inconspicuous to anyone. Inside was a tin of fresh tobacco, fine rolling papers, and a set of matches—she'd charmed the matches so they'd never run out. Tonks had a feeling that Severus would appreciate the way it felt to strike a match, the way it popped, how it smelled when you shook it out. For some reason, she was certain that he wouldn't use a lighter. 

When it was apparent that he was about to leave, she said goodbye to everyone and left the kitchen. She sat on the steps outside of Grimmauld Place and waited for him to exit. It was bitter cold, and she warmed the spot on the steps beneath her. Even with the charm the cement still felt a bit cool beneath her jeans. She hadn't heard him come out; she didn't know he was there until he spoke. 

"What the hell are you doing? It's freezing." His voice sounded gruff with a touch of annoyance and, if she wasn't mistaken, a touch of concern. 

"Waiting for you," she replied. She stood up from where she was sitting, her hand slipped into her pocket, fingers toying with the box. 

  
  


Standing in front of him, she looked up at him with a smile. He was a good bit taller than her, and she could have morphed to make herself taller, to meet him eye to eye, but she liked this. Tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ears, she smiled. 

"What for?" As if mimicking her, he shoved his hands onto his cloak pockets. 

"To wish you a Happy Christmas." 

"It's not Christmas,” he tone was flat. 

"Would you rather me come to your home on Christmas and wish you well then?" She was challenging him—playfully, teasingly, an eyebrow cocked up, her lips in a smirk.

He opened his mouth but then closed it, furrowing his brow. Internally, she was jumping up and down at the notion that she'd just left him speechless.

Clearing his throat he said, "No...I don't think so."

"Well, then. Here we are, eh?" She leaned into him a little, his brows still furrowed. 

"Is that all? Is that your Happy Christmas?" 

"Are you always so grumpy?" She stepped forward, closing the gap between them, the tips of her boots touching his. She could feel the warmth radiating off of him, and she had the sudden urge to hug him.

Pulling her hands out of her pockets she wrapped her arms around his middle, rested her head against his chest, and squeezed him just so. His body tensed; the opposite effect that a hug should have. 

"What are you doing?" he asked.

She could feel his voice rumbling against her ear. She pulled back enough to look up at him. "Hugging you."

He scowled, "Why?"

Instead of answering him, she pushed up on her toes and pressed her lips gently to his. It was barely a kiss, but she felt relieved to have finally done it and thrilled, too.

"What in the hell, Tonks?" He rarely called her Tonks. He tended to call her Nymphadora to tick her off or Miss Tonks to be formal. Calling her Tonks seemed so personal, as if, perhaps, he'd let his guard down a bit. 

Before she could respond he gently pulled out of her embrace and asked, "What game are you playing?"

Offended she replied, "I'm not playing a game. Why would—"

"Is it a depraved Christmas joke, then? Where the pretty quirky pixie Auror kisses the greasy git? Black and Lupin will get quite the laugh, I suppose? 

"No. Severus, I…'" 

***

He watched as she pulled something out of her pocket. She tapped on the object and in her hand she held a small box. It was wrapped in what Severus would consider being the most ridiculous wrapping paper he had ever seen—neon blue paper with Santa Claus riding a unicorn. He found the paper thoroughly annoying and equally endearing—similar to how he felt concerning Tonks. 

He would have considered what they had a friendship, an odd one, but a friendship nonetheless. He chose to sit next to her at meetings because she was funny and because she said things that no one else would, and he liked her because it was obvious to him that she was very different from everyone else in the room. It was true that she was nothing like him, but she wasn't like anyone else either. That mattered. 

Not once did he go out of his way to make conversation with her, and he never made it known that he thought of her in any particular way. He knew that he was the type of man that no woman in their right mind would like—unless it was to use him for something. And, so, he allowed himself the simple enjoyment of sitting next to her, listening to her laugh, hearing her jokes, and, for him, that was enough. 

Her kissing him, however, was something entirely different, something he didn't expect, something he wasn't comfortable with. Women like her did not like men like him. 

She held out the small box to him and said, "It wasn't a joke. I had no intention of kissing you like that, at least not tonight, but it happened. Anyway, I wanted to give you this."

He stared at the small box, with its absurd wrapping paper, she placed in his hands and then looked back up at her and then back down at the box. He was a brilliant man, but he was having a hard time understanding what was happening.

She placed a hand on her hip and with her other hand gestured towards him, "Well,", she said, "open it."

Clearing his throat he began, "I haven't gotten you anything."

"Christmas isn't about getting. I did this for  _ you _ . Not for me to also receive a gift." 

Very slowly and methodically he began to unwrap the paper. She began to laugh; he really liked her laugh, and he looked up at her to inquire what it was she found so humorous. “That's exactly how I imagined you would open a present. Such meticulous precision."

"How," he asked with a scowl, "do you open presents? Rip them to shreds? Leave the wrapping all over the floor?"

She smiled with a warm chuckle, "Yeah. That's exactly how I do it! Be enthusiastic about your gift, you know?"

He shook his head, "No, I want to appreciate it. I like to take things slowly." He hadn't meant for there to be such innuendo in what he'd said, but he knew, by the look on her face, by the faint blush rising to her ears, that she heard it as such. 

With a coy smile, she said, "I suppose we would make a dynamic-duo, then." 

Whether or not she was referring to just their personalities or sex, he wasn't sure, but he realized that flirting with Tonks was fun; he liked it quite a bit. He looked back down at the gift and pulled off the paper, opening the box to his gift. A smile crept up to his lips, “You mean you aren’t going to berate me about my smoking habit?” His eyebrow raised as he spoke.

She shrugged, “Nah. I figure, you know, you could die every time you go to a Death Eater meeting; destroying your lungs is a slow process, so it’s fine. Slow death is preferable. Years and years. Yeah?” 

“Sort of. Depends,” he said with a laugh. He enjoyed this, the fact that she was willing to make those sorts of jokes. It was refreshing to have someone not tip-toe around him, and he was overwhelmed with the desire to kiss her again, to really kiss her this time. 

“Thank you, Tonks. This is quite exquisite,” he stepped towards her, slipping her gift gently into his cloak’s pocket. She then moved closer to him, and he caught a whiff of lavender. He shut his eyes in pleasure; he enjoyed lavender, the earthiness of it. Suddenly, he felt her lips against his again, and he let himself enjoy them this time—the softness of them, the faint taste of bergamot, the warmth despite how bitterly cold it was. Her mouth parted and her tongue ran teasingly along his bottom lip, and he opened his mouth for her. As they kissed, he thought that this might be the best Christmas he’d ever had, and it wasn’t yet Christmas. 

She pulled away from him, her lips were red and a bit puffy, and she whispered, “Would you like to come back to my flat?” 

“I would.” 

Grabbing his hands, she said with a wink, “Let’s go, then.” 


End file.
